In May 2009 I commented on Caspian Terns exhibiting breeding behavior around the Smith Cove area of Magnolia. Brien Meilleur was noticing similar things and together we checked out rooftops from Pier 91 to Harbor Island to no avail. This led to sporadic reports from around Puget Sound and was followed by Joe Meche documenting the downtown lifestyle of CATEs in Bellingham.

The supposition has been that overflow birds from the mouth of the Columbia River and birds from the failed colony at Dungeness Spit are looking to relocate. The Bellingham colony appears to have been chased off now.

Recently the intrepid Ingrid Taylar has been working from the Garfield Bridge access to Magnolia, photographing the terns perching on the roof of the Trident Seafood Building and loafing at low tide on the mudflats at Smith Cove. The Trident roof is extremely difficult to view except from a distance of a couple of hundred yards.On Friday I went over to Trident and talked to a foreman called "Joe" and asked if there was anywhere I could see on to the roof and he declined saying it involved difficult security procedures. However he did say that he thought that CATEs had attempted nesting last year but had mostly failed. Glaucous Winged Gulls also roost on the roof and Crow species also forage there. Joe related, with some fascination, how the crows worked in teams, with some distracting a sitting parent tern, while other birds would rush in and grab the egg or knock it to set it rolling off the roof to the ground, where the yoke could be scooped up.

The colony is also difficult to count as birds are coming and going to fish most of the day. There are at least 200, with a probable maximum of 400. Breeding conditions are difficult for the colony but otherwise there seems to be an empty niche, as very few birds dive for fish in the Sound. Ospreys seem to be increasing. To-day Ingrid Taylor sent some distant but great pictures of what are likely eggs on the Trident roof.


--
David Hutchinson, Owner
Flora & Fauna: Nature Books
Discovery Gardens: Native Plants
3706 Corliss Ave North
Seattle,WA.98103
http://www.ffbooks.net/
206-623-4727